a month, and stayed nearly forty years. The regularity and
economy in the family was great. The maids were kept to work till eight
o'clock at night, and the rest was their own time. Mrs. Bovey frequently
called for her charity account book to see if it kept pace with her
expenses in dress, which was always very handsome. Mrs. Vergo was often
sent to Ross and Mitcheldean to buy materials to make garments for the
poor. The old table-linen and sheets were made into childbed linen,
which, together with shirts and shifts of all sizes, were kept in a
closet. It was Mrs. Vergo's business to give them out as her lady
ordered. Two ladies came to visit Mrs. Pope at the time the epidemic
fever raged in Gloucestershire in 1719. One of them, Mrs. Cowling, died
of it at the Abbey. The other, Mrs. Grace Butler, agreed with Mrs. Bovey
and Mrs. Pope all to lie in the same vault with the deceased. The vault
was built accordingly in Flaxley churchyard. Mrs. Bovey died first at
the Abbey, and was laid by her friend. Mrs. Pope was brought from
Twickenham in Surrey, and Mrs. Grace Butler twenty years afterwards from
Worminghurst in Sussex. Every afternoon during her lady's life Mrs.
Vergo was ordered to wear a silk gown. Six of the poor children who were
kept at school at Flaxley dined by turns regularly every Sunday at the
Abbey, when Mrs. Bovey heard them say their Catechism. She was very
often in the habit of lending money to poor clergymen, which was
frequently repaid to her in small sums, but more often given to them.
She did the same, too, by other distressed people whom she believed to be
honest and industrious. During the Christmas holidays before Mrs. Bovey
died she had the thirty children who were taught at her expense, to dine
at the Abbey upon beef and pudding. Mrs. Vergo sat at the head of the
table, and two of the housemaids waited upon them. After dinner Mrs.
Bovey had them all into the parlour, where she was sitting dressed in
white and silver. She showed them her clothes and her jewels, talked
pleasantly and with great good nature to them, and having given to each
of them sixpence she dismissed them. When they left her they had a harp
and fiddle playing in the great hall, where they danced two hours and
went away in good time. When Mrs. Bovey was dressing before dinner she
said to Mrs. Vergo, 'Rachel, you will be surprised that I put such fine
clothes on to-day; but I think that these poor children will re